


Ephemeral

by sleepynines



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Holding Hands, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:30:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25430143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepynines/pseuds/sleepynines
Summary: As long as 9S can remain at her side, just being with 2B is enough.
Relationships: 2B/9S (NieR: Automata)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 70





	1. Memory Log: Archive #001 (Mindless)

Secluded and quiet, the lunar tear garden was a nice place to relax during downtime. Especially when 9S tagged along.

He was chatting cheerfully about the different species of plants Scanners recently discovered, swiping idly through the database to show 2B pictures. “…And this is matricaria chamomilla, which we previously assumed went extinct. In the old world humans used to use it for medicinal properties…” Her head resting in his lap, 2B didn’t pay the screen much mind, more often breaking her attention to watch his eager smiles, his eyes sparkle in the garden glow.

His features were built for a wider range of expression than models like 2B, a trait that made him particularly susceptible to breaking protocol. But they were off duty at the moment, and 2B felt no need to remind him of YoRHa’s rules regarding emotion.

There was something sweet in his excitement. His voice was comforting to listen to.

She didn’t mean to interrupt him, but his voice trailed off when she brushed her hand along his cheek, slipping her fingers in his hair and her thumb around his ear. A mindless action. But 9S didn’t interpret it as such.

Placing his gloved hand over hers, he peered down with curious eyes, prompting her in a bashful tone. “Y-yeah?”

“Please, continue.”

He wasn’t very good at following instructions, as all he did was emit some flustered words, the holographic screen flickering dark before him.

A small sigh, a gentle tug closer, and 2B met his lips with her own.


	2. Memory Log: Archive #002 (Bait)

“So, what do you think?”

2B adjusts the fishing rod in her hands, not yet sure what to make of it. 9S showed her how to tie the line and how to hook the bait, but after fishing with her Pod for so long this method feels foreign.

“It is…different. Less efficient. But it requires more strength to reel in fish.” She did appreciate the additional need for physical strength. It made larger catches feel more like a sport.

“Mhm, it’s just like the way humans used to do it! I found this fishing rod by chance in Emil’s shop, so I thought you would like to try.”

“We will see if the catches are comparable to a Pod. There is no need to use a rod if it brings in less fish.”

9S hums in response, dipping his feet over the edge of the bank. 2B worries the ripples may scare away potential catches, but she decides against scolding him, lest he relocate somewhere further along the lake.

She…wants to be near him.

For once, 9S is quiet, the silence filled only by sounds of wildlife and the waterfall roaring nearby. He’s occupied with his holographic screen, flipping through old mission reports while absently kicking at water. There is nothing left to do but wait, so 2B jams the rod against the soil and holds on with one hand, the other resting at her side as she sits beside him.

She watches their reflection ripple in the water beneath her, the sunlight sparkling across the lake’s surface. When there aren’t any pressing assignments from YoRHa or the resistance camp, their assignment is to gather environmental data on the Earth’s surface, including cataloguing marine resources. This is just a mission, but 2B finds the task enjoyable regardless.

2B only breaks attention from the line when she feels a warm hand pressing against hers.

She glances up, but 9S is so absorbed in his screen that she can’t tell whether his action is intentional. There is no harm in it, 2B decides, and says nothing.

His hand on hers…it has a strangely calming effect.

It isn’t long before she feels a faint tug on the line, and knows a fish has found the bait. She will need both hands to reel in.

The fish slips away forgotten as 2B pretends not to notice.


	3. Memory Log: Archive #003 (Retrieval)

“According to the coordinates it should be around here somewhere…” 9S swipes through his holographic screen, zooming in on the crude map that only barely depicts the city ruins. “2B, do you see anything?”

She doesn’t respond. The air is heavy with silence and 9S’s focus jolts away from the map out of concern.

“2B?”

She’s standing unmoving some ways away, shoulders stiff and lips taut in a thin line. He moves quickly to her side and follows her gaze.

He sees the fires blazing nearby, the air dark and thick with smoke that makes him cough. Rubble is scattered along the ground in piles, alongside damaged buildings of the city ruins that threaten to collapse under the slightest force. All remnants of the recent attack where YoRHa had just barely emerged victorious.

…Oh. He sees it now, why she’s acting this way.

Mangled bodies lie tucked in the crevice of a crumbling fixture, gaping wounds and mechanical innards spilled across the ground around them. Synthetic blood clings to shredded uniforms in dark brown splotches.

Their deceased selves are huddled together in what is very obviously an embrace.

9S doesn’t remember what happened here. He doesn’t even remember what enemy had managed to dismember their bodies so brutally. They’d both awoken peacefully in the Bunker, with only news of their mission’s failure and the last few hours of their memories wiped.

9S meets 2B’s gaze behind the covering of their blindfolds, and a silent understanding passes between them.

It’s no secret that they are close to each other. Not that they’re given any choice but to deny the obvious.

2B makes no move forward, so 9S takes initiative, kneeling before their bodies and prying the chip compartments open. He avoids looking at their mangled corpses, praying the image of 2B’s skull ripped apart won’t haunt him in his dreams.

He slips the final chip into his pouch and stands. “Come on, let’s get these back to the resistance camp.”

On their way back 2B remains characteristically silent. Still, 9S can tell she’s shaken just by counting the number of times she trips over foliage, or absentmindly walks into enemy machines. He reaches out to steady her a few times, but she barely utters a word of thanks.

 _Emotions are prohibited._ Her mantra echoes in his thoughts.

Actions are louder than words even if emotions stay unspoken. They’ve been working together long enough for 9S to understand how deeply they both care for each other. If things were different, surely, they would be more than just partners in battle.

But things aren’t different. Relationships are forbidden for all YoRHa units. That sort of fantasizing is little more than a sin for an android like himself.

Maybe someday, when the war is over, and they won’t be bound by YoRHa regulation…

Until then, as long as 9S can remain at her side, just being with 2B is enough.


End file.
